In less than ten minutes, a vibrant red supercar glided to a halt by the roadside, just a short distance from Aya Tone. The intoxicating roar of its engine instantly drew countless eyes, and among them, Aya Tone’s gaze was firmly captured.
“Woah, what a stunning sports car!”
Though he couldn’t identify the make or model, no man could truly resist the allure of such a magnificent machine.
Aya Tone was certainly no exception.
If not for the shackles of poverty constraining his imagination, he would undoubtedly have purchased one to revel in its thrill.
In his youth, he had dreamt of nothing more than owning his own supercar, and the moment he came of age, he had eagerly obtained his driver’s license.
Yet, after all these years, a driver’s license remained his sole possession.
Forget a supercar; he didn’t even own a humble scooter.
The mere thought brought a pang of sorrow.
He wondered which wealthy man had arrived in it to pick up his girlfriend.
How he envied them!
Just then, the driver’s side door swung open, and a long, fair leg gracefully extended, its foot slowly touching the asphalt.
“Hiss—”
Aya Tone gasped, his eyes fixed intently on that striking, pale leg.
‘Good heavens~’
‘That leg, it’s longer than my own life!’
‘Tsk, tsk, tsk.’
“Aya! Are you alright?”
At that moment, a voice filled with delighted surprise rang out.
The car door slammed shut with a thud, and the young woman, her long legs moving with surprising speed, appeared before Aya Tone in an instant.
Confronted by the sudden appearance of such pristine paleness, Aya Tone instinctively replied, “Oh, I’m perfectly fine.”
Yet, in the next breath, his eyes widened, and he slowly lifted his gaze to the newcomer.
“You! Huh?”
Aya Tone stared at the young woman before him, then swivelled his head to glance at the supercar, utterly speechless.
‘This… this is just too unbelievable…’
What would you think if, one day, a friend revealed they were secretly a second-generation rich kid?
This was precisely the dilemma Aya Tone now faced.
“What’s wrong?”
Miao Qingzhu, looking perplexed, followed Aya Tone’s bewildered gaze.
Her expression then shifted to one of sudden understanding. “Oh, you mean the car? My dad gave it to me. I usually don’t drive it unless I have to; it’s far too conspicuous.”
“If you like it, how about I trick my dad into getting you one next time?”
Miao Qingzhu sighed, a hint of helplessness in her voice. She still couldn’t fathom why her father had insisted on buying her such a flashy, ostentatious supercar.
Were it not for fear of hurting her father’s feelings, she would have long since sold the car and used the proceeds to buy all the academic credits Aya Tone possessed.
The thought of the hundreds of thousands of academic credits still held by Aya Tone brought an undeniable glint of yearning to Miao Qingzhu’s eyes.
With those credits, she could hire instructors whose abilities and teaching styles closely matched her own.
Under the tutelage of such renowned teachers, her strength was bound to experience a meteoric rise.
‘Get me one?’
Aya Tone’s eyes gleamed with an almost predatory light. ‘Friend?’
‘No!’
‘She’s a veritable lifesaver!’
“Rich lady! Please take me in!”
“Huh?”
Before Miao Qingzhu could even process his words, a white “ornament” had inexplicably appeared clinging to her leg.
Being summer, Miao Qingzhu was dressed in nothing more than a pair of shorts, leaving her long, pale thighs perfectly exposed.
Those restless little hands, fidgeting on her thigh, immediately brought a flush to her pretty face.
Forcing herself to ignore the strange sensation on her leg, Miao Qingzhu, her face now crimson, managed to say, “You, you should really get up now.”
“No! I don’t want to strive anymore! Big Sis, please take me in!”
“So many people are watching! Just get up!”
Miao Qingzhu’s initial act of parking the supercar had already drawn a considerable crowd of curious onlookers.
Now, with an adorable ‘loli’ suddenly embracing the ‘ojou-sama’ who had just emerged from the supercar, the attention of every passerby was instantly captivated.
After all, who could resist such a captivating sight?
What’s more, both the tall, elegant woman and the small, cute boy were beauties in their own right, making for double the visual delight.
“Never~”
‘My dignity?’
‘What’s that? Can it be sold for money?’
****
Unlike Aya Tone, Miao Qingzhu was not so brazen; with so many eyes fixed upon her, her face was flushed so deep a red it seemed ready to bleed.
Yet Aya Tone, clinging stubbornly to her leg, showed no signs of releasing his grip.
Powerless, she could only hobble along, dragging the small “ornament” attached to her leg.
She pulled open the car door, then, with a swift motion, unceremoniously tossed the ‘ornament’ from her leg inside.
“Oh dear~”
Only after closing the car door and effectively shielding herself from the onlookers’ gazes did Miao Qingzhu finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, gritting her teeth, she cast a resentful glance at Aya Tone, who was now settled in the passenger seat.
‘It’s all Aya’s fault!’
“Xiao Zhuzi, how could you be so heartless!”
To her surprise, Aya Tone preempted her, covering his throbbing head and complaining loudly.
Miao Qingzhu was so incensed she wanted to throw him out of the car; how dare he play the victim after causing such a scene?
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Aya Tone immediately offered a sincere apology. “Rich Lady Sister, I was wrong!”
His apologetic demeanor was utterly earnest; if they had been outside, he would likely have prostrated himself without hesitation.
And those fleeting expressions of his, shifting as quickly as clouds in the sky…
One moment, his face was streaked with theatrical tears of grievance, and the next, they vanished without a trace.
This left Miao Qingzhu utterly exasperated, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Truly, neither a scolding nor a physical reprimand seemed appropriate.
With a sigh of resignation, she asked, “You called me to rescue you. Has someone been bothering you? Who is it? How many of them are there?”
Though, truthfully, she doubted anyone could ever truly bully the formidable individual sitting beside her.
“No, not at all. I merely got lost,” Aya Tone admitted honestly.
Being in an unfamiliar city, he worried that using teleportation magic might lead to him being apprehended as a lawbreaker.
In truth, Aya Tone wasn’t afraid of being caught; his real fear was being delivered directly into Bai Xiao’s hands.
If that were to happen, he would truly be doomed.
It would be akin to self-delivery.
Miao Qingzhu froze, momentarily stunned. ‘Lost?’
So why had she rushed all the way here?
“Couldn’t you have just hailed a taxi?”
“I… forgot…”
Aya Tone awkwardly scratched his head, genuinely having forgotten the simple act of hailing a taxi.
Kind strangers had pointed him in the right direction so often that the thought of calling a taxi hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“Phew—So, where to next?”
“I have no idea.”
Aya Tone offered a sheepish grin. He had called Miao Qingzhu purely because she was in the Imperial Capital and he only had her phone number.
He hadn’t thought beyond that.
****
Miao Qingzhu took a deep, calming breath. ‘Don’t get angry, don’t get angry.’
Yet, the visible rise and fall of her chest betrayed the fact that she was far from as composed as she pretended to be.
She pulled out her phone and tapped on it a few times.
Before long, an idea seemed to strike Miao Qingzhu.
Her gaze subtly flickered to Aya Tone, who was sitting dutifully beside her.
“Buckle up!”
Suddenly, a powerful surge of acceleration pinned Aya Tone against his seat, sending him scrambling to fasten his seatbelt.
‘Holy hell! Starting in fifth gear?’
‘I’m going to die, I’m going to die!’
Even with his seatbelt securely fastened, Aya Tone felt no sense of security, his small hands instinctively weaving several layers of defensive magic around himself before he finally felt a faint sense of calm.
Simultaneously, he silently congratulated himself for not having chosen those high-difficulty dungeons earlier; otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the spare magical energy to cast these defensive spells now.
This was his first time riding in a supercar, and he hadn’t even touched a steering wheel, yet he was already on the verge of being traumatized.
How terrifying!
His perception of Miao Qingzhu shifted dramatically; Xiao Zhuzi appeared so refined, yet her driving was utterly reckless.
“Sis, slow… slow down… we’re not in a hurry…”
But Miao Qingzhu paid him no mind.
Passersby watched the supercar dart away like an untamed mustang, their eyes filled with envy.
With their ordinary salaries, even if they toiled their entire lives, they might not be able to afford even the chassis of such a car.
Hmph, they could only look and dream…
****